By Lucky Isibor
The Uromi Justice Development and Peace Caritas Initiative (Uromi JDPCI), has volunteered to train junior police officers at the Police Divisional levels in Edo State on investigation and prosecution of cases involving child trafficking as part of its avowed commitment to reduce child trafficking to the barest minimum in the state.
The Executive Director of Uromi JDPCI, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Fidelis Arhedo stated this at the opening of the second session of the workshop with influential actors comprising law enforcement officers, civil servants, social workers, traditional leaders, caregivers and community gatekeepers under the “Act Against Child Trafficking in Nigeria (AACTING) project.” The clergy assured that Uromi JDPCI is ready to do the training proposals which he pointed out will be carried out in collaboration with its partners to build the capacity of junior police officers on investigation and prosecution protocols to ensure that observed gaps in the management of such cases are closed and get convictions for child traffickers.
Father Arhedo who noted that child trafficking has assumed an alarming crisis in child protection in Edo State, pointed out that traffickers are not relenting as they’ve evolved new trends which includes sexual exploitation of young girls in rural brothels in Esanland, unsupervised child migration for education in Esan South East Local Government Area, deceptive empowerment schemes; stressing that these make traing of the police officers imperative to enhance the performance of their duties in the area of protection of children against trafficking.
While thanking ECPAT France and Luxembourg Aid and Development for their financial and technical support, Fr. Arhedo lauded the presence of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Edo State Migration Agency, the Nigerian Police, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, community leaders and civil society actors, noting that their presence at the workshop is a sign of hope.
“Child trafficking remains one of the most alarming child protection crises in Edo State. The traffickers are not resting; they are adapting — exploiting systemic gaps, masking criminality with deceptive benevolence, and infiltrating our communities under new guises.
“Recent field engagements and reports from our Local Government Child Protection Commitees reveal distressing trends: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Girls in Rural Brothels: Locations such as Ekpoma, Ebelle, and Ewossa are now home to increasing numbers of brothels where young girls trafficked from rural communities outside Edo State are being sexually exploited. These children are lured with promises of work, only to be trapped in cycles of abuse and violence.
“Unsupervised Child Migration for Education in Esan South East LGA: In places like Ifeko Island and Illushi, children — some as young as five — are migrating alone or in small groups to Ubiaja for school. Often crammed into small, unsupervised rooms, they are left vulnerable to neglect, abuse, and trafficking.
“Deceptive Empowerment Schemes: Fraudulent traffickers posing as agents of government schemes are gaining the trust of young people and families. In some parts of Esan South East, false promises of training and jobs are used to lure unsuspecting victims into dangerous trafficking routes.”
Enumerating the challenges confronting the war against child trafficking, Arhedo appealed to security agencies to ensure that parents of victims are not treated as accomplices in the cause of investigation and prosecution of traffickers and sued for inter-agency collaboration, adding that the observed gaps being exploited by traffickers is not a sign of failure but meant to guide all the stakeholders toward greater effectiveness and coordination.
“While law must take its course, this situation calls for a trauma-informed and differentiated approach. Parents manipulated by traffickers are not accomplices — they are victims, too. We must train and equip responders to make that distinction early in investigations.
“Cases that require referral to specialized agencies —such as NAPTIP or the Edo State Migration Agency — are sometimes delayed or mishandled due to unclear inter-agency protocols, lack of communication, or bureaucratic rigidity. Particularly at the divisional level, some law enforcement officers resist inter-agency transfers, weakening our chain of protection.
“Protection systems must not operate in silos. Coordination is not optional; it is essential. Every delay in response puts another child at risk. Every communication breakdown allows traffickers to exploit the gaps.
“Establish and adhere to shared referral protocols that are clear, survivor centred, and time- bound. Invest in joint training for all actors, from police officers and social workers to traditional leaders and religious institutions. Engage in regular dialogue and feedback sessions that break silos and promote shared learning.
“Listen to and learn from survivors, allowing their voices to shape our interventions. And above all, commit to sustained collaboration beyond this room”.
The Commander of the Edo State Command of NAPTIP, Commander Sam in his remarks stated that child trafficking and human trafficking are on the rise and happening every day noting that, “It is our duty as law enforcement agents, guidance, parents to stem the tide of human trafficking in our community. We in NAPTIP are happy to collaborate with all stakeholders, we’re happy that this action against trafficking is happening here, that we are more enlightened, more informed and we hope at the end of this meeting we’ll be more informed to take our job seriously and commit what we have learnt here into practice.”
In a goodwill message, Dr. Nkechi Megbuzie, Head, Rehabilitation and Reintegration, Edo State Migration Agency described the workshop as a veritable platform to learn the new tricks being deployed by child traffickers now in their illicit operations.
In his goodwill message, Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Lucky Agbonika appealed to every citizen to be alert and assist the police to ensure there’s no place for child traffickers in the state.
According to CP Agbonika who was represented by the Officer in Charge (OC) Gender, Superintendent of Police (SP) Marian Andrew; “Child trafficking is a great crime that strip our children of their innocence, freedom and future, and as a society we must rise to protect our children, the most vulnerable ones from exploitation, abuse and modern slavery.
“The Police Force remains unwaven in its commitment to combat this great crime of child trafficking through vigilant enforcement, intelligent related operation, close collaboration with community leaders, civil society organisations and international partners; we’ll continue to strengthen our investigation capacity and build trust with communities to ensure every child is safe and protected.”
In another goodwill message, Chief Hillary Ekhoye, the Iyase of Igueben noted that child trafficking was prevalent in Esanland, but the intervention of Fr. Arhedo and Uromi JDPCI has reduced the trend. He disclosed that only two cases were reported at Igueben last year, adding that the Onojie of Igueben, Zaiki Eluogierior 1 has built a skill acquisition centre – Okaigun Skill Acquisition Centre – which will soon be commissioned to engage children and those rescued from trafficking dens in skill acquisition to escape the deception of traffickers.
In his remarks, Chief Ebason who is a traditional religious practitioner reveled that before the intervention of Rev. Fr. Arhedo in child trafficking that those taking people abroad used to come to his shrine to take oath of secrecy but now he is an advocate against human trafficking in its entirety, adding that he is also engaged in educating other traditional religious practitioners not to allow anyone come to their shrine to take oath of secrecy in relation to human trafficking, pointing out that this has also contributed to the decline in the trend.
In a presentation on “Case Management”, the facilitator, Onomen Oriakhi (Esq) took participants round case manager in relation to referral protocols, data system strengthening, how to ensure that case management are survivor centred among others.
The AACTING Project implemented by Uromi JDPCI with support of ECPAT France and Luxembourg is a three-year programme from September 2023 to July 2026 and is anchored on the goal of reducing the prevalence of child trafficking in Edo State by strengthening local systems and reinforcing community-based protection mechanisms.